My near - death experience
by blue bird aoi
Summary: Just a little story i decided to write, it's basicall how it feels to drown. like really drown, except without the dieing part. it goes into a bit of detail too. oh and it's also a true life story. constructive reviews would be greatly appreciated. :)


My near death experience

I always did wonder what if I had taken my last breath at that pool without even knowing or expecting it. What if I wasn't able to make it out on time or no one had saved me? What would have happened then? I mean what if… what if I had passed out in the water, or worse of all, died. Yes I do ask myself these questions from time to time. But the answer always turns out to be "I don't know" or "who knows?"

You might be wondering why I even started to ask myself these questions. You might have a good idea about it but I will go into more details of what transpired on that faithful day…..

"Whoo hoo!" _Splash_.

"The water is so warm, unlike the beach", I said.

'Yeah, I know right?" Takumi, a friend of mine, answered.

We were at the Aquatic Centre. It was the first time for us to be there. Hikari, an old friend of my mum's, decided to take us out, for us to have fun. The water had been so warm, I didn't expect that at all, and I loved it. Even though I didn't know how to swim, I still loved to go to the pools. Maybe it was because the feeling of water coursing through my body made me euphoric.

"Let's race Takumi, first person to walk to that – I pointed in its direction- floating ball wins". I said to Fred. Feeling completely elated.

"You're on, Akira", Takumi replied.

We 'walked' to the ball. Seeing as we couldn't swim and all. Takumi had gotten there first, no surprise there.

"Damn it", I cursed under my breath.

"You don't stand a chance against me". Takumi said.

Right then Hikari and my mum came in.

"So I heard you guys can't swim, right?" Hikari asked

"Right," I and Takumi replied in unison.

"So gather round, I'll teach you the basics," she said.

We flanked her sides and then she began talking us through things to do and things not to do when at a pool. She taught us how to stay afloat without sinking. And then she told us to give it a try. I didn't. I was too much of a scared cat. But Takumi did and he got the hang of it. He told me it was easy and that I should try it. I said no of course and so he teased me. I knew I was never gonna hear the end of it.

After that Hikari had then demonstrated some different styles of swimming. Like the back stroke, the breast stroke, the butterfly stroke and so on. Then she told us to give each of them a try and see which one comes naturally to us. Takumi, as usual, was able to pick it up faster than I did and was already good at the front stroke. He was swimming in no time, though he had never tried it before. He was so happy that he could finally swim, not like a pro, but at least enough to one day say "Of course I can swim" if being asked. He was completely thrilled.

I, on the other hand, didn't even attempt them at first, and when I did I sank straight in to the water head first, but got up immediately using my legs, seeing as the water was only stomach deep. After that I decided I wouldn't try it again, I'd already inhaled enough water as it is.

Though I did decided I wouldn't attempt it again, I did it anyway, thanks to Hikari. She taught me skills which would prevent me from sinking, skills that enabled me to move in the water. I was finally beginning to get the hang of it. I swam for approximately 7 meters before I stopped to catch a breath again, or because my eyes were filled with water (I open my eyes when I swim. It enables me to be aware of my surroundings). At the end my recorded distance was approximately 28 meters which, for me, was pretty awesome. It was at this time that my mum and Hikari became bored and decided to visit the spa based at the adult part of the pool and was out of bounds for children my age. So on they went, leaving behind I and Takumi at the pool with the warning "Be careful you two and don't carried away" Now I realize that warning has two meanings.

I later became bored and went on to find Takumi who had wondered off earlier. He wasn't that difficult to spot seeing as he had been playing pool volleyball with a group of other teenagers who he'd just made friends with. So I joined them in their little game.

It was about 15 minutes later, since I started the game that I realized there was a deeper end of the pool, and above it a billboard stating in bold letters'8 METERS DEEP' and that no one under the age of eight should venture close to it. I was fourteen years of age.

I lectured Takumi of my plan to go over there. He told me not to, that he had already tried going there before but his legs couldn't feel the bottom of the pool anymore so he went away from it immediately. I reminded him that I was taller than him so I stood a chance of least reaching the floor than he did. He didn't fully agree with me so I teased him, calling him a chicken, until he finally agreed to go with me to the other side.

So we went to the 8 meter deep pool and as we approached it I saw little children, both boys and girls, of about eight, swimming there. That boosted my courage when I thought to myself "_if this little babies can do this then why can't I, a teenager, manage this?_" and with that I stomped into the deepest part of the pool.

Then I couldn't feel the floor under my feet anymore. I tried moving back towards where the floor had been but I couldn't. I could see Takumi was struggling to like I was.

'_He can swim right? He'll save me'. _I thought to myself as I clung to his shoulders and pulled on it, but that wasn't very wise of me because then we were both submerged in the water. Takumi was struggling to release me from my grip on him and I was struggling to make sure I didn't let go. I did not know how but Takumi was able to be rid of me, he swam away, living me still in the water. I was absolutely astonished. "Takumi left me to die?" I asked myself. But then I felt a burning sensation in my nose, realizing then that I had still been underwater and I had mistakenly inhaled a bit. I tried swimming up, to try to at least get a bit of air, tried to get my head to the surface so that I could scream for help. But as soon as my head was above water and I tried to scream, the water would engulf my mouth, and I'd be immediately pulled back down again by an unknown force, my scream muffled. All my tactics proofed futile except once where I'd been able to inhale a bit of air, just the tinniest bit, but it felt good. I had to keep reminding myself not to panic. I held my fist up, remembering that I had once been taught by a surfing instructor at a year eight camp, that if I ever was in distress at sea, raising up my fist would surely be the best thing to do, and help would come my way. So I did that and hoped silently that the live guard would see me.

He wouldn't see me, I could see him, the life guard, but he wasn't even paying any attention to the pool at all. He was having a discussion with a girl, he was also smiling profusely. I was now totally devastated. That was when I started to panic. I started to wriggle and shake copiously. I tried to get some more air, tried to get my head up, out of the water. But all my attempts were to naught. I became tired; I couldn't wriggle and shake anymore. All I wanted to do now was relax…just relax.

I started to drink the water, the thought of it was disgusting, but I couldn't help it. I just couldn't. Then I began to recollect, in movies, when a character is shown to have drowned, I'd tell myself that they didn't try hard enough to survive, they could have raised a fist, they could have paddled faster, they could have drank the water instead of inhale it, they could have done this, they could have done that. I realized that they must have tried doing all of that, maybe more, but it just didn't work. It just did not work.

By this time my eyes started to hurt so I closed them. The air in my lungs had now been used up. I had, by mistake inhaled a bit of water again, it made my nose burn so much, I didn't know what to do. It felt like I had inhaled acid. I couldn't stop the painful sensation, so I ignored it, thinking that maybe if I did that, then it wouldn't hurt so much as it did. Maybe the pain itself wanted me to ignore it, or just submit to it. I didn't understand the meaning of what I was thinking, but I thought it anyway.

'Wow,' I thought, '_so this is how I shall die, in a pool full of people having fun. With my mum at a spa, having fun, and my dad at home, ignorant of what was transpiring over here, and my brother who'd left me for death. I do not deserve to die this way, by drowning; I mean it's my greatest fear, dying by drowning, or dying by an airplane exploding and falling into water and then drowning in it, but drowning all the same."_

I did not deserve to die that way. I lived a good life, I was kind to people. Yes I did a few wrong things like lie about eating all my vegetables I didn't like at home, or that I'd completely read a book when I hadn't. But at least I had repented from it and had later said _'I was only kidding I didn't finish my food, _or_ 'I'm joking I only read half the book and got bored of it'. _So I just didn't deserve to die like this.

"_Oh my goodness, I haven't handed in my English homework yet, I had worked so hard on it and now I don't get to hand it up, don't even get to see what score I get for it? The part two of the movie 'Hunger Games' would be out soon, I had been awaiting it's premier in the cinemas for ages now and I don't even get to see it? And it's all because of my own stupidity". _I reprimanded myself. "_Why in the world did I decide to come to this part of the pool, why didn't I just listen to Takumi, why did I choose today of all days to be at the pool, why, why, why…?"_ I lamented.

At this moment I began to feel my consciousness sleeping away from my fingertips, but then I felt something tugging on my arms, pulling me, pulling me out to the surface, and lid me down on hard ground. I was tired and when I breathed the air it hurt really badly, _'had I inhaled that much water?_' but it also felt good. It was bittersweet. I tried opening my eyes, slowly, and when I did it hurt. Everywhere was extremely bright, like someone had brought the sun closer. But then my eyes started to adjust.

I felt someone's hands pressing hard against my stomach. It was Fred's. _"Why was he doing that, I didn't swallow much water. Did I?"_ I asked myself. Then I felt a rush of water speeding up from my lung and out my mouth and, my goodness, did it hurt like hell. My lung felt like it was on fire. I coughed it out. My lungs still burnt though; at least that's what it felt like.

I heard Fred's voice thanking someone. The guy he thanked was also hovering over me. I hadn't even noticed that. I looked up to see a young guy, about 16 or so, fair skinned, curly blond hair, he was also fat, not at all my type. He, the 'unknown guy', asked me if I was alright. I wasn't sure if I could talk yet so I just nodded, and with that he left. I would have to thank him later.

I looked around, getting used to my surroundings. I tried to get up, with Fred's help, my eyes adjusting to the brightness of the area. I sat up a tad too fast causing a wave of vertigo to hit me. I fell back but Takumi caught me before I could hit my head on the pavement.

"Careful," he said, "Or you'll get a brain hemorrhage."

I just nodded, still not trusting my voice. My mum came back to the side of the pool I was in. I sat up again and tried to look as if I was having a hell of a time and everything was alright, because I knew full well that if she found out about what happened I wouldn't be allowed near water till I was 25 years old. She had been looking at me, I could tell her eyes where analyzing me, but I tried not to make eye contact. I could also feel that my eyes were still wet from the way it felt. It hurt.

By this time Takumi had already gone back to playing with his teenage friends, after explaining how he had called over one of his new found friends to save me from drowning and that it had taking less than 2 minutes for them to get to me.

"_Hmm felt more like an hour down there,"_ I thought.

My mum suspected something was wrong and asked me if I was alright. I thought through the question and decided lying to her would be pointless so I choose my words carefully, "Oh yes I'm fine. I was a tidbit careless in the water earlier on that might explain the red eyes. But everything's fine now." It wasn't a lie, but I didn't exactly go into any details either. She scrutinized my face for a second again and gave up, apparently she believed me.

"Hey Akira," Takumi called, "wanna go for a swim again?"

If you had been the bird that perched on the window opposite where I sat, you would have seen the petrified look I had on my face.

So there you go, those are the reasons I ask myself those questions. You might have an answer for them but I know I don't. I would be going to the pool again, for a swim, one day, in the future. In the distant, distant future.


End file.
